'My fluidity transcends my sexuality': Nico Tortorella, 29, poses in a full leather outfit and a flower crown for gender-bending shoot, as the Younger star discusses 'explorative' identity
- Nico, 29, plays tattoo artist and love interest Josh in TV Land's Younger
- The actor has recently come out as gender-fluid and started using the neutral pronouns 'they', 'them', and 'their'
- In a new interview, Nico opened up about 'exploring the world of gender', adding: 'My fluidity far transcends my sexuality and my gender identity'
- Nico posed in a series of photos modeling several outfits such as a pink turtleneck, a flower crown, and an all-leather look
- The actor, who is in an open marriage with Bethany Meyers, 28, has been open about various aspect of their life, such as gender identity and body image
Younger star Nico Tortorella has opened up about their 'explorative' identity and their experience 'exploring the world of gender' in a candid new interview.
The actor, 29, plays Josh in the TV Land show, a hip tattoo artist who develops a relationship with a woman in her forties (played by Sutton Foster) as she passes for a 26-year-old.
Nico, who has recently come out as gender-fluid and started using the neutral pronouns 'they', 'them', and 'their' instead of 'he', 'him', and 'his', told the independent magazine Euphoria that they remain flexible when it comes to labels.
Talk: Younger star Nico Tortorella has opened up about their 'explorative' identity and their experience 'exploring the world of gender' in a candid new interview
Summer look: The actor, 29, modeled a flower crown as part of a photo shoot for the independent magazine Euphoria
'There is not one label that I'm saying this is who I am for the rest of my life,' Nico told the publication, whose cover they are gracing this summer.
'I love language and I just wrote a book of poetry. I'm obsessed with words and how we use them. I think they can either be used as medicine or weapons. I feel like I'm getting my doctorate in the medicine right now.
'I'm exploring the world of gender and what it means to me. I think the more work I've been doing in the space, the less I believe in gender as binary, as the construct that it is.'
The actor has been incredibly open about various parts of their personal life, such as their open marriage to New-York-City-based fitness instructor Bethany Meyers, 28, their struggles with body image, and their ever-evolving identity.
'I'm stuck in a really interesting place right now in my own education and journey and it's something that I work on every day, but it's exciting. It's explorative,' Nico added.
'My fluidity far transcends my sexuality and my gender identity. It's everything I am, and everything I stand for. It even saddens me that we’re in this place in the world that we have to fight for these things right now.'
Nico, who has done drag in the past, appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race's season 10 in April this year.
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Ever-changing: 'There is not one label that I'm saying this is who I am for the rest of my life,' Nico told the publication, whose cover they are gracing this summer
Identity: Nico has recently come out as gender-fluid and started using the neutral pronouns 'they', 'them', and 'their' instead of 'he', 'him', and 'his'
Learning: 'I'm stuck in a really interesting place right now in my own education and journey and it's something that I work on every day, but it's exciting,' Nico said
They called the experience 'so amazing', and explained how drag first peaked their interest.
'To me, drag was a way to play with life in such a beautiful way. There's a childish enthusiasm to drag that is so beautiful,' Nico said.
'That's what really attracted it to me in the first place. It's so visceral. It's using your body, your voice, your face as canvas as a form of resistance, too! It's so f*****g layered.'
Nico posed in a variety of outfits in an accompanying spread for the magazine, modeling a flower crown along with a white shirt in two of the shots.
Another photo sees the actor in an all-leather outfit, bearing their chest and resting their hand on their head while looking into the distance.
Nico's cover photo features them in a pink turtleneck with both of their hands poking out of the garment for a playful effect.
Earlier this month, Nico further opened up about their gender identity in an honest essay for Playboy.
'My name is Nico Tortorella and I am a gender non-conforming, happily married, polyamorous pansexual. In other words, I have always been a mouthful,' the actor wrote.
Inked: The actor, who plays a tattoo artist in Younger, showed off some of their many tattoos in one of the snaps
Dreamy: Nico, who has done drag in the past, appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race's season 10 in April this year. They called the experience 'so amazing'
La vie en rose: The actor's cover photo features them in a pink turtleneck with both of their hands poking out of the garment for a playful effect
'My sexual freedom has always been a work in progress. Isn't everything? Let's unpack that.'
Nico then explained how, through education and getting to know the queer community, they came to 'break down the binary construct of gender, male and female'.
They also explained why they embraced the singular they in reference to themselves.
'Binary pronouns "he" and "she" tend to be divisive, which is one of the many reasons I have started using they/them pronouns for myself,' Nico added.
'And when asked if my pronouns are plural I say yes: I am a multidimensional dynamic human being. We all are.'
Nico has been increasingly open on social media, and last month candidly discussed their struggle with body image on Instagram, shortly after coming out as gender-fluid.
'My weight has fluctuated my entire life. For the past couple years, I started to really get into shape. Working out sometimes twice a day, diets, supplements, hormones, etc,' Nico wrote.
The actor, who explained in their recent interview for the platform Them that they previously decided to stop drinking because they were 'hurting' themselves, added: 'Remember, I am an addict.
'Over the past six months I have worked out less, ate more, wrote a book, and have tried to love myself more and more every day; body, mind, and spirit.
'I have days where I love my body, and days when I'm not happy; wishing I still looked like I did.
Spouses: Nico has been incredibly open about various parts of their personal life, such as their open marriage to New-York-City-based fitness instructor Bethany Meyers (right), 28
Role: The actor plays Josh in the TV Land show, a hip tattoo artist who develops a relationship with a woman in her forties (played by Sutton Foster) who passes for a 26-year-old
'Today I am telling you all of this to shed some light on body dysmorphia and body positivity. Being in shape is so much more than having a six-pack, arms, and tight skin.'
Nico praised their spouse, fitness instructor Bethany, for supporting them, including thanks to a recent text that read: 'Just a reminder that you are beautiful and your body is too. Use this workout tonight to clear your head and strengthen your body for your busy day tomorrow.'
Bethany and Nico married in March after being in a polyamorous relationship for a decade.
The fitness instructor previously took to Instagram to dispel some of the misunderstandings about their marriage.
'I often get asked the question, "How can you be queer if you're married to a man?"' Bethany wrote before explaining: 'Who you're dating or who you've created a partnership with doesn't determine your sexual orientation (if it did, bisexuality / pansexuality wouldn't exist).
'Just because a woman marries a woman, that doesn't mean she's a lesbian (i.e.: Cynthia Nixon).
'If I put myself on scale — 0 = straight, 6 = rainbow — I'd probably mark myself a 5. Nico happens to be so special, they made it to 'lifetime-partner-status' using my remaining 1.
'This works for me because our relationship is open, meaning the other portion of me who is attracted to women, gets to exercise itself. I'm lucky, I know.'
Bethany also reflected on gender identity, adding: 'I don't know that I (or my partner) would label me as strictly "woman" nor would I label them as strictly "man".
'This probably sounds less millennial-quirky than it actually is. If you believe boys should have the freedom to be feminine and girls should have the freedom to be masculine, the breakdown of the gender construct has already begun.'
